Registration is closed.
$50 registration fee for full 2 days, or $25/day. Meals and lodging included. 

October 6, 2023, @ 9:00 am – October 7, 2023 @ 3:00 pm Eastern Time

NorthWoods Stewardship Center, 154 Leadership Drive, East Charleston, VT

9, Category 1 SAF CFE credits approved (4.5 each day).

Agenda for download

We welcome Guild members to join us for a Guild Gathering in the forests of the Northeastern Kingdom of Vermont with our hosts, NorthWoods Stewardship Center. We will visit Mud Pond and the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in the Nulhegan Basin Division to discuss climate driven silviculture. We will learn from managers and researchers about Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) study sites, forest birds, managing ash with emerald ash borer, old growth forests, post-industrial management, and spruce-fir silvicultur

Accommodation is available at the Northwoods Stewardship Center near their Guild Model Forest in Charleston, Vermont, where forest managers enhance wildlife habitat, timber quality, education, and recreational opportunities. 

Agenda overview:

Friday, October 6th   

9 – 10:00 a.m.: Arrival, sign-in, coffee/snacks, catch up with old friends at Caspian Beach parking lot in Greensboro, Vermont

10:00 a.m.: Intro circle

10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Carpools, field tours, and lunch provided in the field at Noon

5:00 – 7:00 p.m.: NorthWoods Stewardship Center social hour and dinner

7:00 p.m.: NorthWoods Stewardship Center forestry program overview

7:30 p.m.: Adjourn

Saturday, October 7th   

7 – 8:00 a.m.: Breakfast

8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Carpool or individual travel to Refuge Visitor Center for field tour and lunch provided in the field at Noon

12:30 p.m.: Optional Degraded Site field tour led by Jeremy Goetz (people driving individually can leave from here if they wish)

2:00 p.m.: Carpool back to the visitor center. You can leave from there, or van back to NorthWoods Stewardship Center if you left your car there.

Lodging info: A few options are available at no cost. Please indicate your lodging needs when registering, as spots are limited:

• The Bunkhouse at the NorthWoods Stewardship Center is a shared space that sleeps 16 people. Bunks are separated into nooks that sleep 4 people each. There are two bathrooms with showers, a common area, woodstove, and a kitchen space with a minifridge, microwave, and coffee pot. Please BYO pillows, linens, and towels.  
• There are plenty of tent camping spots and space for small campers/RVs. In the tent camping area there is an outdoor pavilion kitchen and outhouse. Campers can also have access to the common space and facilities in the bunkhouse. If you would like to bring your own camper please reach out to NorthWoods staff at forestry@northwoodscenter.org to reserve a parking space.  

Travel and hike info: We will have NorthWoods Stewardship Center vans available for carpooling. We will be traveling on lightly managed dirt roads. We will be walking over uneven terrain.

Please bring:

• your own water bottle,
• snacks,
• footware that can get muddy and wet,
• insect repellent and/or bug net,
• sunscreen,
• if staying overnight, necessary items (bunk house requires sleeping gear and is a heated space. Camping requires your own camp gear).

Thanks to Northwoods for these photos!